In order to truly know a person, you must first understand the people and things that are most important to them.
Take a closer look at what it means to be Barbara Jean Morris:
She may be “Dr. Morris” to us, but she’s “Mom” to three (Moriah, Jacob and Michaela) and “Mimi” to two (Jaya and Joshua). Dr. Morris was a single mother, raising her children by herself and putting each of them through college and graduate school.
Dr. Morris’ dog, Beulah, came to her as a puppy after being rescued from a dumpster. The lovable pit bull mix has been Dr. Morris' hiking buddy and loyal companion ever since.
“Keep close to nature's heart... and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” - John Muir
Dr. Morris is an avid hiker, skier, surfer and outdoors enthusiast. Growing up, she often went hiking with her parents and sister, Margie. Her father, a lieutenant colonel in the Army, taught her survival training before she was 10. In her youth, she ran the mile, and her best time was 4:21. She has hiked the Pacific Crest Trail (CA portion), the John Muir Trail, Mount Whitney and, most recently, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania:
Dr. Morris is passionate about helping others. In honor of her inauguration, the campus community came together for a "Yes We Can" food drive that brought in 1,556 pounds of nonperishable food items for area food pantries and the Hunt Union Food Shelf on campus. Her hope was that the effort would bring attention to food insecurity locally and chip away at the stigma often attached to it.
Our campus also hosted a SUNY's Got Your Back event in connection with Dr. Morris' inauguration to assist those in need and bring awareness to sexual violence. At the event, volunteers created comfort kits for victims and survivors of sexual and interpersonal violence. Each bag also contained information about support services and educational materials.
Dr. Morris enjoys experimenting in the kitchen. Last September, she cooked for students at MyKitchen in Mills, whipping up a comfort food from her mom's recipe book - Chili Relleno Casserole. In December, she participated in Sodexo's first Holiday Cookie Bakeoff, entering her "Double-Double Chocolate Chip" recipe.
Growing up, Dr. Morris’ paternal grandmother often reminded her of their Cherokee heritage. As she became older and more interested in her ancestry, Dr. Morris began to research her family and, using birth and death records, was able to retrace their journey on the Trail of Tears. When she made the big move to Oneonta from Colorado last year, she followed in the footsteps of some of her ancestors, visiting their birth and grave sites.
In an homage to her ancestors, Dr. Morris decided she wanted to host a group exhibition, "The Land on Which We Gather," featuring indigenous peoples' art at one of the campus art galleries in conjunction with her inauguration. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate diversity and allow the campus and community to experience the varied work.
The feather of a red-tailed hawk is very meaningful to Dr. Morris. The hawk's repeated resurfacing at important times in her life has served as a connection to her late father and a reminder that he is watching over her and the family.
When planning the invitation for her inauguration, Dr. Morris wanted to incorporate the feather as a tribute to her dad as well as a circle, which, in Native American culture, symbolizes harmony, balance, and mutual respect and collaboration.
Dr. Morris loves music. Check out this playlist of her favorite tunes, featuring the songs that inspire her, represent her background and values, and just plain make her want to dance!
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